Dr. King maintains the Prophet Amos was saying that Israel's privilege would be proportionate to its ethical responsibility. Failure to live up to this responsibility would result in retribution equal to the severity of the failure.

Dr. King uses the steadfast faith of biblical figures Abraham and Paul to express his desire to part from the traditionalism of religion and make it applicable to all aspects of a person's life. King also iterates this position by using excerpts from various philosophers such as Edgar Brightman and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

This sermon, delivered by Dr. King on April 4, 1956, discusses the human desire to escape God. Dr. King attributes this inclination to the fact that man wants to hide from God's immanent nature and harbors a general unwillingness to follow God's commandments.

Dr. King reviews a passage from the Book of Ezekiel regarding forgiveness and repentance. Summarizing the verse, he states that repentance involves an "actual change of attitude" and forgiveness includes forgetting past mistakes.